Vacation Adventures Await Michigan Visitors

By Michael Thompson, Contributing writer

Fun outdoor vacation adventures are abundant year-round in Michigan. There's a good reason why Michigan advertises itself as the "water and winter wonderland" -- it goes far beyond just golf in the summer and skiing in the winter.

Mackinac Island

Consider Mackinac Island, near the Mackinac bridge, which connects Michigan's Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula. You get to Mackinac Island by taking a 20-minute ferry ride from either side of the bridge.

You'll really need to be active on Mackinac Island because there are no motor vehicles. Most Mackinac Island vacationers walk or ride bicycles, although horse-and-buggy rides are also available. You can bring your own bike on the ferry, or rent one. Tandem bikes are popular. A walk or ride around the perimeter is 8.3 miles, and if you purchase some famous Mackinac Island fudge, you'll need to burn some calories.

There's a state park with hiking and riding trails, but no camping. (You'll have to "settle" for a hotel room.) Visitors generally enjoy Mackinaw Island's ambiance and Victorian architecture. Also check out the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival in early June.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Other regions have their mountains, but Michigan boasts impressive sand dunes on both shores of what the local folks call the "upper Lower Peninsula." If you wish to see the morning sun rise over the water from the east, there are some modest sand dunes along Lake Huron. But if you desire to see the evening sun sink into Lake Michigan, you also will view the most impressive view because the wind usually comes from the west. At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near Traverse City, you can do more than "climb the dunes." You may opt to hike, bike, swim, canoe, kayak, or even scuba dive.

Michigan's Natural Resources

Michiganians (not "Michiganders" -- would you want to be a "gander?") remain proud of their accommodations for campers. State officials boast, "You are never more than half an hour from a Michigan state park, state forest campground, state recreation area or state trail system." Michiganians invested in their natural resources when economic times were better, through voter-approved, targeted statewide taxes that cannot be diverted for other purposes.

A rustic searcher with nothing but a backpack and a tent can find a state campsite for less than $10, and even an RV rabble-rouser with all the bells and whistles (until quiet time at 8 p.m.) can find a spot in the $20 range, or about $30 for full service. Even if you are visiting Michigan for just a few days, a season pass might save you some bucks.

Golfing/Skiing

OK, golfers and skiers, you won't be forgotten here. Golf resorts in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula didn't go big until the 1980s and 1990s. When they finally did go big, they exploded onto the national map. The region is favored for seasonable summer temperatures, gently rolling hills and fantastic forest scenery. Major discounts are offered amid the overall sour economy. As for skiers, you may not want to tackle Ironwood's Olympic-scale ski jump, but the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is headquartered in Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula.